Tape position control

ABSTRACT

AN IMPROVEMENT UPON A MACHINE FOR WRAPPING POLYTETRAFLUOROETHYLENE TAPE UPON THE THREADS OF A FITTING, COMPRISING PROVIDING CHAIN-CONNECTED NUTS HELD CAPTIVE IN A TAPE SUPPORT FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY ADJUSTING SAID NUTS TO CHANGE THE LOCATION OF THE TAPE RELATIVE TO THE END OF THE FITTING TO BE WRAPPED AND TO THE KNIFE BY WHICH THE WRAPPED TAPE IS SEVERED.

June 22, 1971 N 3,586,582

TAPE POSITION CONTROL Filedoct. 14. 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 //vvE/vr02 l4Egorzs [Iv/(a fea 6M 22 52 June 22, 1971 E. INKA TAPE POSITION CONTROL 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 14.

Unitcd States Patent 3,586,582 TAPE POSITION CONTROL I Egons Inka,Chicago, Ill., assignor to Crane Packing Company, Morton Grove, 111.Filed Oct. 14, 1968, Ser. No. 767,408 Int. Cl. B65h 81 /02 U.S. Cl.156-468 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An improvement upon a machinefor wrapping polytetrafiuoroethylene tape upon the threads of a fitting,comprising providing chain-connected nuts held captive in a tape supportfor simultaneously adjusting said nuts to change the location of thetape relative to the end of the fitting to be wrapped and to the knifeby which the wrapped tape is severed.

This invention relates to machines for wrapping and adhering by pressurean unsintered polytetrafiuoroethylene tape around the threads of a pipe,fitting or fastener for the purpose of providing a sealant therefor.

There is presently available a machine which, upon the insertionthereinto of the threaded end of a pipe, fitting or bolt, rotates aplaten containing a supply of tape around the threads, rolls the tapeinto the threads to adhere the tape thereto, cuts off the rolled tapefrom the tape supply, and continues the rolling until the cut-off end ofthe tape is pressed into the threads. The tape is held in rolled form ina container which is secured to a separate plate mounted on the platen.Spacers inserted between the container and platen determine the locationof the tape container relative to the platen and hence determine thelocation of the tape on the threads and relative to the cut-ofl? knife.

In said presently availa'ble machine, the adjustment of the pins isaccomplished by individually adjusting each of the pins. This may causean uneven adjustment of the separate plate so that it is not square withthe threads and additionally requires an undesirable length of time tocomplete the adjustment.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a mounting for atape cartridge or the like on a tape wrapping machine in which thelocation of the mounting relative to the axis of the object to bewrapped may be readily and quickly shifted.

As a more specific object, this invention seeks to provide a mountingfor a tape cartridge in a tape wrapping machine wherein a plurality ofadjustable supports are provided for the mounting and with a singlemeans for simultaneously and evenly adjusting each of the supports.

These and other objects of this invention will become apparent from thefollowing detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof whentaken together with the accompanying drawings in which FIG. 1 is anelevational view of the portion of the tape wrapping machine to whichthe adjustable tape cartridge support is supplied;

FIG. 2 is a section through the machine and mounting taken along line2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view of the adjustable mounting;

FIG. 4 is a section through the machine and mounting taken along line 44of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged section taken through the adjusting nut for themounting.

Referring now to the drawings for a detailed description of thepreferred embodiment shown therein, it may be assumed, for purposes ofillustration, that the object to be wrapped with thepolytetrafiuoroethylene tape is a ice bolt 10 as shown in FIG. 2. Saidbolt may be used to hold two castings together, in one of which castingsis a fluid which must be held against leakage past the bolt; Thefunction of the tape is to provide a sealant which fills the intersticesbetween the bolt threads and the threaded opening in which the bolt isreceived. The thread can be applied manually on the site of the assemblyof the apparatus, but this is a time-consuming procedure, and it hasbeen found more expedient to pre-wrap the bolts so that they arrive onthe assembly line with from one and one-quarter to two and one-halfwraps of the tape applied thereto. It has been found further that thetape will adhere to the threads of the bolt if it is rolled or otherwisepressed firmly into the threads at the time it is wrapped. It is,therefore, the function of the tape wrapping machine to press the tapefirmly into the threads of the bolt or other articles to be wrapped sothat said wrapped article may then be shipped to the assembly line inreadiness for immediate use.

The tape is shown at 11, and its thickness and width are selected inaccordance with the requirements of the object to be wrapped. For a boltthe tape may be from 4;" to /2" wide and may have a thickness of fromtwo to six thousandths of an inch. The same machine may be used forwrapping a wide variety of articles and each of the articles may requirea different location of the tape relative to the threaded end of thearticle, so that an adjustment is required, either of the location ofthe tape, or of the location of the threaded object relative to thetape, to accommodate these differences.

In the machine to which this invention is to be applied, the initiationof the wrapping operation is effected by the object itself pressing upona button 12 to which is attached a rod 13. Said rod extends through themachine to a control switch (not shown) or to a trip of some kind whichis used to effect the initiation of the operation of the machine. Saidbutton 12 is designed to protrude beyond a plate 14 which is rotated bythe machine during the wrapping operation and which serves as a deckupon which all of the rotating equipment necessary to effect the tapewrapping operation is mounted. The control switch or trip acts as a stopfor the button 12, and hence also acts as a stop for the bolt 10, sothat the relative positioning of the bolt and tape cannot be controlledby the location of the bolt 10 relative to tape deck 14. Thealternative, therefore, is to control the location of the tape 11relative to the deck 14.

Referring now to FIG. 1, the bolt is shown in dotted lines disposedbetween three substantially equiangularly spaced rollers 15, 16, and 17.Said rollers are mounted on arms 18, 19 and 20 respectively, pivoted todeck 14 at 21, 22 and 23, respectively. Similar means (not shown) isemployed to rotate the arms toward the bolt and to hold them there witha given pressure so that the rollers 15, 16 and 17 may press the tapeinto the threads of the bolt.

The tape itself is shown as passing between roller 15 and the bolt 10.Said tape is supplied in an enclosed cartridge 24 which is expendable sothat 'when a roll of tape has been usedcompletely the cartridge issimply removed from the machine, discarded, and replaced by one with afull roll of tape.

Cartridge 24 is supported on a central pin 25 and is correctly orientedwith respect to the roller 15 by a second pin 26, both of which pins aresecured to a mounting plate 27 (FIG. 4). Plate 27 is, in turn, supportedbetween three fiat headed screws 28, 29 and 30 (FIG. 1), which arethreaded into the knurled ends of pins 46 slidably received inappropriate openings 31 formed in a carriage 32 (FIG. 4) which isradially slidable on a pin 33 fixed to arm .18.

It may be apparent that since arm 18 is axially fixed relative to deck14, the required axial movement of the tape relative to the object to bewrapped must be accom- 3 plished by moving plate 27 relative to arm 18.This plate-moving means will now be described.

Secured to the back of carriage 32 is a triangular machined element 34,the apices of which are cut out at 35, 36 and 37, to form recesses,recess 35 being larger than recesses 36 and 37. The pins 46, which aresecurely held in plate 27 against rotation by flatheaded machine screws28, 29 and 30 and the knurling on the ends of said pins, pass throughappropriate openings in the apices of said triangular machined element.

Disposed in each recess 35, 36 and 37, is a nut shown in greater detailand enlarged in FIG. 5, and designated generally by reference characters38. Said nut has a threaded opening 39 adapted to receive a speciallymachined threaded end 28, 29, or 30 of the pins 46, and is also formedat one end with a sprocket 40. The remainder of the nut 38 is formedwith a cylindrical hub 41 over one of which is secured a knurled wheel42. Said knurled wheel is disposed in the recess 35, which is thelargest of the three, as hereinabove described. An endless roller chain43 engages all three sprockets on the nuts 38.

To adjust the position of plate 27 relative to the carriage 32, it isonly necessary to turn wheel 42 which, because of its roller chainconnection to the other two sprockets, turns all three sprocketssimultaneously in their recesses 35, 36 and 37. Since the sprockets areheld captive in these recesses the net result is to cause theirrespective screws 28, 29 and 30, to move axially relative to therecesses which, in turn, causes pins 31 and plate 27 to move toward oraway from the carriage 32. Since the threads on the screws areidentical, and the degree of rotation of the sprockets is alsoidentical, plate 27 moves evenly and parallel to itself whenever theknurled wheel 42 is turned.

Carriage 32 limits movement of the plate 27 in one direction, andmovement of the plate in the opposite direction is limited by a washer44 held on the end of screw 30 by a small round-headed machine screw 45.

It is understood that the foregoing description is merely illustrativeof a preferred embodiment of the invention and that the scope of theinvention is not to be limited thereto but is to be determined by theappended claim.

I claim:

1. In combination, a roll of tape, a support for the tape roll, a platenfor transporting the tape roll around an object to be wrapped With saidtape, means for mounting the tape support on the platen for slidingmovement thereon toward and away from the platen, said mounting meanscomprising three parallel threaded rods disposed to form a triangle,three bushings on the platen for supporting said rods, a nut engagingeach rod, a triangular plate spaced from said platen and having openingstherein through which the rods extend, said nuts being disposed betweenthe platen and plate and held against axial movement relative to saidplaten, a sprocket on each nut, and a chain passing around and engagingeach sprocket such that rotation of one nut causes simultaneous rotationof all nuts to move said tape support toward and away from said platenas aforesaid.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 6/1964 Bailey 57--13 1966 =Neale,Sr. 5710X US. Cl. X.R.

